Forum:2006-05-14. I'm not sure I get this episode...., by ioxmo
ioxmo, 14/05/2006 5:01 AM :Helga's Nanny... When Inga said she would teach Helga needlepoint (I believe that's what it was called) because it calms "nervous" children. What does she mean by nervous, exactly? Seems to convey angry. I liked how Helga kept it after her nanny left and was working on it as her dad screamed downstairs (something I'm beginning to think would have been a lot more vicious if it could have been allowed). So, is needlepoint supposed to calm her from things like this as well as neglect/anxiousness/etc? ---- kcheetah999, 14/05/2006 10:52 PM :This episode actually has an odd dark and unpleasant air to it and gives us a little look inside Helga's head, that doesn't bode well for a future relationship with Arnold. Her life is made undoubtedly better by Inga's presence, but she can't deal with a stable home situation. Even why asked why she's trying to get rid of her nanny, she doesn't really have a good answer. Helga just plain isn't ready to be "happy". So then, if she really did hook up with Arnold, how long do you think it would last? I'll have more on this after I see what some of you think. ^___^ ---- Flank17, 15/05/2006 7:21 AM :I don't know how she will act with Arnold and how she will be able to manage her feelings, she really has problems. But she looks at hooking up with Arnold like she will go to heaven, like she will get rid of something what tortures her. She aparently thinks that when it happens theirs life must be perfect and she will try to act to make it pefrect and like to pay off him for all. And I am sure that she would get big problems if she wasn't able to be with him and lost like her sense of life. ---- Greenorbs2, 15/05/2006 10:30 PM :Sometimes, when we finally "achieve" our "desires", they're not what we thought them to be. We tend to have preconceived notions and once those preconceived notions are demolished, we usually have a difficult time trying to adjust. That's how I believe it is with Helga. :As far as the nanny ep goes: Helga takes up on the needle point to "calm" her "nerves". This is an older form of therapy. When I was a kid, many adults who were considered "unstable" used this type of therapy to help themselves relax. :Anyway, nobody really knows what Helga will be like as an adult, but I'm sure she'll have her share of issues to deal with. :-Jae- ---- Lord_Malachite, 18/05/2006 1:11 AM :I don't think Helga could be with Arnold for a very long time, and subconsciously, this is her choice. It's so easy to get caught up in Helga's monologues about her endless desire that we can lose sight of an important fact--Helga is self-defeating. Ergo, it is very likely that she intentionally remains estranged from him. There are likely many reasons for this. Fear of rejection. Fear of ruining her image of him. Not wanting to really examine who she is. But above all else, I get stuck on the romanticism aspect. What's so perfect about this obsession of Helga's is that it's never quite real for her. She almost never has to confront Arnold as a reality, never express the feelings that she has. Even in the movie where she does, the writers backpedal to put things back as they were. Helga wants the rewards of a relationship but not the responsibilities, and that's why her status as a bachelorette will very likely remain unchanged for some time to come. Even Helga was forced to admit in "Helga On The Couch" that she isn't ready. And even though from a plot standpoint it can be a bit frustrating, it's probably a much better thing overall for her as a person, even moreso since she recognizes her own immaturity. That's my food for thought, anywho. LM ---- kcheetah999, 18/05/2006 10:13 AM :----- Original Message ----- From: "Lord_Malachite" To: "Arnold's Room" Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 10:11 PM Subject: Re: I'm not sure I get this episode.... >.I don't think Helga could be with Arnold for a very long time, and >subconsciously, this is her choice. > It's so easy to get caught up in Helga's monologues about her endless > desire that we can lose sight of > an important fact--Helga is self-defeating. Ergo, it is very likely that > she intentionally remains estranged from him. Excellent point! We must never lose sight of the fact that Helga is a phenominal drama queen, and while Arnold is a focus for her muse, that might just be all he is to her. > There are likely many reasons for this. Fear of rejection. Fear of ruining > her image of him. Not wanting to really > examine who she is. But above all else, I get stuck on the romanticism > aspect. What's so perfect about this obsession > of Helga's is that it's never quite real for her. She almost never has to > confront Arnold as a reality, never express the > feelings that she has. Even in the movie where she does, the writers > backpedal to put things back as they were. True enough, Helga seems to enjoy the safety of her fantasy world, rather than taking a chance on Arnold turning out to be less than her ideal. > Helga wants the rewards of a relationship but not the responsibilities, > and that's why her status as a bachelorette > will very likely remain unchanged for some time to come. I could see her moving from Arnold to another obsession; something else to fire her creativity, be it a person or a cause. > Even Helga was forced to admit in "Helga On The Couch" that she isn't > ready. And even though from a plot standpoint > it can be a bit frustrating, it's probably a much better thing overall for > her as a person, even moreso since she recognizes > her own immaturity. That's my food for thought Ponder this; does Helga REALLY have any close friends? Phoebe's a special situation, but other than that, you just see her in group activities, but not hanging out that much with other kids on a one to one basis. Perhaps she just not good with relationships period. ---- ioxmo, 19/05/2006 2:50 AM :The way I always saw it was she deliberately keeps herself away from him because she is, like most bullies, insecure (also shy). Eventually, when she overcomes this, she'll be able to show her true self and draw him in.... seems to have happened to Arnold's grandparents (from Girl Trouble) and implied to happen to him from what I gathered. If they were to get together "now," I don't think it'd work out for very long since I'd see her too shy to show her feelings in public (still berating him) and smothering him behind closed doors. He'd eventually get sick of it and have to dump her since she would probably miss any subtle hints...which would devastate her. Hmm, this might make a good story. As for Helga's friends, I agree, she doesn't have anybody close. She seems like she only grew somewhat close to Phoebe because of proximity, but still bosses her around because she knows she can. When she plays baseball after school, it may be one of the "I thought she was your friend" type of thing...or they're just too scared to tell her to go away I think this is one major reason she's obsessed with Arnold. She thinks nobody really cares for her, even if they really do (like her family or Phoebe)...but she knows Arnold will care if she lets him. Anyway, I'm done rambling... ---- Manolo, 28/05/2006 12:10 AM :Dear Ioxmo: :I must say that Helga's Nanny is a strange and uncharasteristic episode, not of Hey Arnold, but of the children TV. :As a matter of fact, the first time I saw the end of the episode, I was shocked. Like it was faltering a last act where Helga confessed or at least tried to clean Inga's reputation. :But then I saw the genius of the episode: Hey Arnold! is not about the fantasy life we see in the TV shows: Hey Arnold is about reality, and in reality, Helga's attitude really hurts all the people aroun her. :So, when I saw the chapter in a second time, I must claim that, despite his dark tone, has a really hopeful note: Yes, Helga has done a terrible thing to an adult who only wanted to help her, but Helga realizes this fact not from the terrible family situation or her low quality of life: it was because her conscience warned her about Inga's reputation as a thief. And even when Helga didn't have the strenght to fix Inga's reputation, Helga "surrender" to Inga by doing the needlepoint. :So Ioxmo, I think that the needlepoint it was Inga's way to tell Helga: "Canalize your rage through something positive". After all, Inga saw the kind of family life Helga has... The Pataki family is not something you can see without feel that there is something fundamentally gone wrong with them and they have grown accustomed to that. :Helga doing the needlepoint at the end of that chapter is the recognizing that maybe Helga is not an heroine (like Arnold), but is simply a human being, trying to survive and do some right in a scary and hostile world. ---- Manolo, 28/05/2006 6:42 PM :Dear Lord Malachite, King Cheeta, GreenOrbs, and Ioxmo: :As you said, maybe Helga has problems trying to separate fantasy from reality. As a matter of fact, given the crappy reality she lives and the incredible fantasy world she is capable to build, how will blame her? :I'm sure she is not ready to be with Arnold, and even if she will be, she would be dissapointed in their relationship (after all, I think one of the wonders of being in love is the strange conviction that we have found at last a person who will give us everything that life denied us!) and I think Craig Bartlett agrees. :If all of you remember, "The Jungle Movie" will end with Arnold leaving Hillwood to live with their parents at San Lorenzo, and hence, "The Patakis" will be about Helga living without Arnold. The only way to mantain their relationship is making Helga yearn for it! :But also, if there is something "Hey Arnold!" is about, is about hope: How in the real life there are real miracles, how miracles happen and we could have been redeemed by them if we only care to pay attention: I'm convinced Arnold and Helga will be together somehow, because Helga doesn't need Arnold so he can save her: Helga needs Arnold because is the only person in the world who can make Helga care for what is right. Helga destiny is not to be saved: is to save :And for that, I think Arnold and Helga somehow will make it and be together... happily ever after... or as happily as Helga could permit herself to be ;) ---- Flank17, 02/08/2006 10:10 AM :You all have the point here, Helga can't be with Arnold now. Helga thinks that Arnold can save her from her reality, but, I think, it are both, she needs someone who would care about her and also someone who would show her the right things, how to be not a miserable part of this reality, but someone, who will be able to love. After all, she is just a girl and she will grow up, so she will may be able to manage and with her dreams, and with her real relationships. She is smart, she was able to make her great inner world, so it's also likely that she will learn to deal with people. We must believe in the positive ending, or where is the point in all that. ---- jarelkortan85, 06/08/2006 10:05 PM :What I think as far as Helga's Insecurities, and unwillingness to tell Arnold, and her not being ready for a relationship and what not. These are good points for sure, but I think Arnold is the key to changing her, cause when ever I see her, there seems to be two different people, one who is willing to love and be loved and other other who keeps people away from her and protects herself from beign hurt. Which leads me to this, the whole bully act was started as a means of protection, and cowardece. She doesn't want to risk being hurt so she pushes people away and afaid of people know she hasa sensitive side, but I think thats school yard politics right there. I mean didn't that dictate a lot of what happened was School Yard Politics, amd I know, as I many of you guys should know, is how much a person can change from 4th grade to high school. I have some friends I knew from elemtary and we all chaged dramaticly, as we grow up we learn more about outselves and make makes us, us. So I not gonna say that a relationship between Arnold and Helga is impossible, rather the oppisate that anything is possible and at 9 years old, thats way to early to determine who we are as an individual and who well end up in the end. Thats all I have to say about that, Thank you. ---- Lord_Malachite, 08/08/2006 11:26 PM :Once again, it just goes to show how all the best Helga episodes are the ones that aren't built around her obsession with Arnold. There's a lot going on here, and it really brings to the front some issues with Helga--the most notable being that there's something missing with her. Indeed, the entire Pataki family is a farce, with everyone hiding from each other. Note how Bob and Helga both put up a strong front of cold indifference, and Miriam drinks. Then there's Olga, who says that she cares about her family, and yet, it's not very often that Olga is even living there. I'd submit that Olga knows her family is screwed up, but she doesn't know what to do about it. Saying that she cares, and focusing on Helga may be her way of trying to cope with that. Helping her sleep at night, so it's not as though she's doing nothing. But there is something fundamentally flawed with every member of the Pataki household, Helga is just the example we see the most. "Helga And The Nanny" shows some of those wonderful parts of Helga. The realization that she needs to be saved, but there's still a duality at work. She wants to be saved, and yet, is she willing to be saved? It is easier for Helga to play the part of the troubled young girl. She's very aware that she isn't a very good person. But her fears of being hurt are more important to her than the potential to be saved. Instead, she lives out her fantasy from the safety of her own soul. Ultimately, Helga wants to be saved--she just doesn't want to take the first step. She doesn't want to reach out that hand towards Arnold (or anyone else) and ask to be saved; she wants Arnold to notice her and reach out to save her. She is a girl with a lot of love to give and a lot to offer, but she's terrified of being hurt to the point she will hurt everyone else around her first, a pre-emptive strike mentality. Helga would create a world where everyone else has been banished in order to secure her own "safety." But what would she do after she was alone? That's her dichotomy, wanting to drive everyone else away while at the same time needing to connect with someone, someone to save her, understand her, and stay with her. She's as human as anyone else. This episode points out how far Helga is willing to go in her effort to make herself feel safe. Anyone who intrudes on her inner sanctum must be eliminated, and so she sets her sights on poor Inge. But the ending of this story gives us something wonderful. The end of this story isn't about Helga's guilt over getting Inge fired and ruining her reputation. It's the knowledge that Helga has driven away someone who really understood her and was only reaching out that hand she was waiting for. But she didn't want to be saved, didn't want to take a chance on someone else. Can it be any different with Arnold? It may be some time before we know. Lord Malachite "You do, of course, realize that this kind of anger can only lead to sex." --Helga Pataki, "Instant Gratification" ---- Flank17, 16/10/2006 1:55 PM :I think that what Helga really needs is to have normal relations with Arnold and not only him at all. She needs and to be loved, and to love. I also think that she will undoubtedly get it in the future, because even though she is a kid now and can't deal with life, she will grow up and then she will understand her feeling and fears, she is smart. She also won't be in her class after some time and nothing will threaten her then. ---- Ruth, 18/10/2006 2:38 PM :Yay, something I can actually put some input into that I know a lot about. About the needlepoint thing...I've been through "art therapy" before when I was in the hospital for, uh, different reasons (the same kind of reasons Helga would be if Dr. Bliss had anything to say about it). Doing needlepoint or painting (or any other kind of hobby that involves using your hands) is a way to get your mind in another place, away from something that's "triggering" you. It, heh, also preoccupies your hands so you don't feel like using them for something destructive. If you want to see a little insight into Helga (besides reading our own Lord Malachite's "Sweet Hereafter" which is a well-written story), you should read "I Hate You -- Don't Leave Me". It's a book about understanding Borderline Personality Disorder. As someone with the disorder, I can tell you (as can my friends, heh) that even when everything looks rosy, I'm still unable to be happy. Subconsciously or even consciously, I'll find a way to mess things up so that everything is back to what passes as "normal" again. Kind of like good old Helga (who was the first character anywhere with whom I could relate, so she'll always have a special place in my heart). Crap, I could write a book about this, really, but my hand's starting to hurt (I fell and nearly broke my right arm the other day). :/ ---- tonyd1983, 26/10/2006 9:22 AM :The basic crux of this episode is that Helga is power crazy, covering up for her own insecurities. She enjoys playing the role of the rebel, and therefore doesn't want to be dictated to be someone else, especially someone outside of her family. ---- CarlinJ83, 27/10/2006 3:02 PM :Um well at the end of the episode Helga realized that she was wrong and that the nanny was just tryin to help. But what Inga said about Helga was true. She doesnt let anybody help her and she just shuts off anyone whose even tryin to help her espeacially Phoebe and Arnold. So that's most of her problem is being helped! But if you back to when she was 3 you could tell from than on Helga was managing to take care of herself and so i guess that's she's really use to that point where she's never been taken care of all her life where she thinks that she doesnt need anyone to do that and so that's my theory on the episode. But i do believe that Arnold would be good for her no matter when she pushes him away he'll just keeps pulling her in almost cause she has so many problems not just with you know her family but with other people as well so that's what i really think. So i believe that Arnold loves her back and she needs have faith in that. So that's what i believe. :Thanks.